Wireless personal area networks are computer networks that provide communication among devices in close proximity to each other or an individual's person. Wireless personal area networks can be formed using many wireless standards, e.g., Bluetooth®, Z-Wave, or ZigBee. For example, Bluetooth®, hereinafter “Bluetooth,” is a proprietary open wireless technology standard that allows fixed or mobile devices to exchange data over short distances. Bluetooth uses “master” and “slave” devices in which one master is associated with up to seven slaves that can form wireless personal area networks with eight active devices that are commonly referred to as a piconet. Up to 255 additional devices may be in a standby or “parked” state. Bluetooth provides wireless connectivity for short range, e.g., one to 100 meters or greater, that operate in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum in the 2.4-2.5 GHz band.
Bluetooth transmissions may use spectrum that overlaps and interferes with other types of communication, e.g., WiFi™ wireless transmissions. Bluetooth communication may include voice, data, or a combination of voice and data with various qualities of service and bit rates. The type of information communicated is indicated by a packet type code embedded in the packet header. Further, there are known security issues within the Bluetooth protocol. Network operators currently have no way to identify Bluetooth device packet types and the locations of the associated Bluetooth devices.